As the leaves turn and the air cools, the women’s sports teams are gearing up for another exciting season.
Last fall, the women’s soccer team and the cross country team advanced to postseason play. They turn to the new year with hopes to advance even further in 2024. Other teams, like field hockey and volleyball, will look to rebound from a disappointing campaign in 2023.
Will 2024 bring even more titles to Princeton? Here’s a preview of the action ahead.
Women’s Soccer
After an exciting season in which women’s soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Tigers look to build upon past success while making a push for the Ivy title. After falling to eventual Ivy champion Harvard in the first round of last year’s Ivy tournament, Princeton returns many contributors from the past season.
Already, the team is off to a strong start. Last week, they opened their season at home against Miami, hailing from the powerful ACC, with a 1–0 win. That game featured encouraging signs for the Tigers, with a pair of sophomores, forward Isabella Garces and midfielder Kayla Wong, combining for the lone goal. Contributions from them and the others expected to step into key roles will play a large part in defining the upcoming season.
The beginning of this season will be a difficult one for the Tigers, with junior superstar Pietra Tordin away representing the United States at the U-20 World Cup and sophomore defender Zoe Markesini playing for Canada. By the time the pair returns in late September, Princeton hopes their addition will serve as a boost to an already strong squad rather than act as a season-saving lifeline.
Field Hockey
Princeton field hockey went below .500 last season for the first time since 2014.
The good news, however, is that the program will welcome back junior midfielder Beth Yeager for the 2024 season. The Connecticut native took a gap year to train with the U.S. Olympic team in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yeager was a first-team All-American in her first two years with the program.
The Tigers are ranked No. 15 in the preseason coaches poll, but will face many of the teams ranked above them throughout the season. This weekend, the Tigers will travel south to face No. 2 ranked University of North Carolina and No. 7 Louisville. An even bigger challenge will come on Sept. 29 at Bedford Field, as the Tigers host preseason No. 1 Northwestern.
In the Ivy League preseason media poll, the Tigers are ranked second, behind reigning league champion Harvard.
Other key returners will include sophomore defender Ottilie Sykes and junior forward Talia Schenck. Schenck started all 17 second games for the Tigers last season and was a second-team All-Ivy selection. Sykes was the backbone of the 2023 team, playing every minute of every game and leading the team with 11 total points. Sykes was named the Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year and was a first-team All-Ivy selection in 2023.
Women’s Volleyball
With much of the team returning for another season, women’s volleyball hopes to improve upon last year’s performance and win what is expected to be a tightly contested Ivy League. Last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year Sydney Draper returns for her sophomore season, looking to improve upon a year in which she led the Ivy League in assists and recorded ten double-doubles.
A storyline to watch this year is the addition of first-year athlete Sylvia Bunde, sister of junior defender Ella Bunde. The sibling duo each specialize in the defensive side of the game and should share the court this year for the Tigers.
The women’s volleyball team was picked to finish second in the division, behind Yale, in this year’s preseason poll. Yale and Princeton also finished 1–2 in last year’s division standings before the Tigers dropped their opening tournament match against Brown. Outperforming last year’s finish will require continued dominance from Draper, as well as more of the same from junior Lucia Scalamandre — first-team All-Ivy — and contributions from 2024’s first-year class.
Women’s Cross Country
On the women’s side, cross country is looking to improve from last year’s sixth-place regional finish. In an Ivy field weaker than that on the men’s side, no team in the conference is ranked in the top 30 nationally, giving the Tigers a chance to take hold of a title. Princeton finished second behind Harvard in the Ivy League championship meet last year.
From last year’s team, only one All-Ivy finisher remains. Senior Mena Scatchard was a second-team All-Ivy finisher last year, with fellow second-teamers Maggie Liebich and Tsion Yared graduating. If cross country is to succeed this year, they will likely need contributions from new faces — perhaps from their six-strong first-year class.
“We are a talented, yet inexperienced championship team,” head coach Brad Hunt told the Daily Princetonian. “We have a challenging road and home schedule designed to prepare the crew for the elite demands of Ivy League Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship come November.”
The women’s cross country schedule is similar to that of the men’s, with two regular season meets and the Ivy League championship held at Princeton. The women will also make two trips to Pennsylvania for meets at Penn State and Lehigh. For the women’s cross-country team, the key to overtaking Harvard and claiming the Ivy League title may run through home-field advantage.
“The Ivy League Cross Country Championships at Princeton attracts an outstanding crowd,” head coach Brad Hunt told the ‘Prince.’ “We look forward to training and racing on the new course throughout the fall to ensure we have a true home course advantage come November.”
Women’s Rugby
Women’s rugby returns to the field for its third season as a varsity program. With newly recruited talent coming in, this now marks the third consecutive season that the program has recruited players on the roster.
Despite a loss to Sacred Heart University — semifinalists from the 2023 National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) Championships — in their opening game of the season, the Tigers will seek to get their first win as a Division I program this season. Annie Huettel, Lindsey Mulligan, Raven Robinson, and Lila King highlight a strong recruiting class. Mulligan’s older sister is a sophomore on the team, recruited for the Class of 2027.
Strong upperclass student returners include juniors Amelia Clarke, Alayshja Bable, and Caroline Maguire, all of who were a part of the first recruiting class.
“We worked hard over pre-season to produce a successful scrimmage win featuring lots of new talent,” Maguire told the ‘Prince.’ “As we move into our third year as a varsity team, our goal is to continue developing and improving the program.”
Fans can catch Princeton rugby at their brand new state-of-the-art facility — Rickerson Field at Haaga House — against Division III program Bowdoin College.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Joseph Uglialoro is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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